Ruler

Matt Batey, is lightening in a bottle. For Ruler, sonic explosions happen within the confines of a mixing board, microphone, guitar patch and his ever-explorative brain. He’s contained. Composed in his wildness. Like a lyric on the page that twists the skeleton key in your brain, only to open another room with another locked door.

As Ruler, Batey released his debut LP, Winning Star Champion, in 2018. The record, which was released by Barsuk, earned Batey praise from household names like Billboard and Magnet and industry tastemakers like Brooklyn Vegan, Under the Radar, PopMatters, KEXP 90.3 FM and The Stranger. The album also featured a talented supporting cast, including drummer Michael Lerner of Telekinesis and guitarist Eric Howk of Portugal. the Man.

Batey has created a follow-up to the powerful Ruler debut. The sophomore 11-track release “Extra Blue and High” is an eclectic mix of genres, dreams and dreary windowsills. The LP features songs that rev your heart engine. It’s a personal jolt. It’s as if someone picked up the plugged glass from the shelf, threw it to the tile floor and smashed it as a blast filled the room. As you rub your eyes, there stands Ruler.

Batey’s lyrics are pointedly specific—so much so that they’re immediately relatable. And they’re set to soaring tunes that are beautifully, earnestly upbeat. That’s his purpose and his gift, spelled out in Ruler’s bold, beautiful songs: Life hurts, but it's great, and that’s it.